Voltaire: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) [Paperback]

J. Gray (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415923948 | ISBN-13: 978-0415923941 | Publication Date: July 1999 | Edition: 1

Philosophy is one of the most intimidating and difficult of disciplines, as any of its students can attest. This book is an important entry in a distinctive new series from Routledge: "The Great Philosophers." Breaking down obstacles to understanding the ideas of history's greatest thinkers, these brief, accessible, and affordable volumes offer essential introductions to the great philosophers of the Western tradition from Plato to Wittgenstein.
In just 64 pages, each author, a specialist on his subject, places the philosopher and his ideas into historical perspective. Each volume explains, in simple terms, the basic concepts, enriching the narrative through the effective use of biographical detail. And instead of attempting to explain the philosopher's entire intellectual history, which can be daunting, this series takes one central theme in each philosopher's work, using it to unfold the philosopher's thoughts.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Once in a while, a publication comes along that on first sight seems oddly out of place but on second viewing is admirably suited to its purpose. This little series of biographical summaries of the thoughts of 24 Western philosophers from Democritus to Derrida is admirable not only for its reasonable price but even more for the intelligence and clarity of the writing. Each volume has been prepared by an expert in the subject, and the result is a series of well-drawn and exceptionally useful pocket-size (4.5 x 7 inches) sketches of major figures in the history of Western thought. The level is such that no special background in philosophy is required to understand the concepts discussed. Each volume also contains a short bibliography, some of which refer to electronic journals or web sites. Most of the individuals chosen for the series come as no surprise, e.g., Descartes, Hegel, Kant, Nietzsche, Locke, Hume, Plato, and Socrates. But there are a few unexpected choices, like Alan Turing and Karl PopperAalthough on further consideration, they make more sense. Turing's influence on mathematics and on the development of computers has long been recognized, but his 1936 paper "On Compatible Numbers," which appeared in the Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society in 1936-37, influenced studies in the philosophy of mind. Popper's development of the concept of "historicism" in such works as The Open Society and Its Enemies and The Poverty of Historicism significantly influenced 20th-century political thought. Ultimately, this set should be in every academic and public library as well as many school libraries.ATerry C. Skeats, Bishop's Univ. Lib., Lennoxville, Quebec
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415923948
• ISBN-13: 978-0415923941
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,621,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not very useful to anyone, June 8, 2002

By 

Fredric Jameson "twor2k1" (Middletown, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voltaire: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) (Paperback)

I bought this slim 53 page volume hoping to get a little background on Voltaire's life, work, and philosophy. But for a book so obviously intended as an introduction to Voltaire, Gray's book instead is a scathing criticism, using basic introductory level information on Voltaire and the Enlightenment era as examples to make his argument. His conclusion- that "Voltaire's 'philosophy' has little to teach us," and that his work was heavily flawed and derivative in its time, and too "difficult" and "irrelevant for the modern reader." If this is true, then why was the book commisionned, and why am I reading it? The book is neither a suitable introduction to Voltaire, or a scholarly work of any noticeable merit, since the author never goes even remotely in depth enough to explain his positions. I can't believe this was written by a college professor. What was he on? For a better introduction to Voltaire, read his novella Candide, an excellent and hilarious little novel that raises questions that perhaps Gray would prefer to avoid.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This guy does not like Voltaire, December 30, 2000

By 

David B. Gillespie "david562" (louisville, tn USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Voltaire: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) (Paperback)

John Gray is no fan of Voltaire or the Enlightenment. After reading Will Durant's '' The Story of Philosophy '' I was anxious to learn more about Voltaire. According to Gray he was not politically correct or multicultural enough to get our modern stamp of approval. So far I have read several of the ''Great Philosophers Series'' and all have been poorly written or boring. I will not purchase any more. The story of philosophy is actually very exciting.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars You Have Got To Be Kidding!, May 16, 2003

By 

Bob Long (Evanston, Il United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Voltaire: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) (Paperback)

Having read several of the other reviews posted here on John Gray's book, "Voltaire", it is hard to find words that would enhance the chorus of denigration. This is quiet literally a "dumb" book, meaning any who read this will be struck dumb by it's intellectual vacuousness. My only additional comment would be that the editor(s) of this series failed miserably. By allowing this book to be published under the guise of representing a critical appraisal of a philospher, something the Great Philosophers series purports to be, ( I am referring, of course, to "critical" as in objective, not negative), they have called the whole series into question and cheapened the discussion of philosophy in general.